Pengo the Penguin is the eponymous star of Pengo the video game. The basic layout of Pengo is akin to that of Namco's legendary 'Pac-Man'; featuring, as it does, a top down, single screen, maze-like arrangement. Pengo's enemies, the Sno-Bees, are also similar to the Blinky, Inky, Clyde etc. - the ghosts that pursued Pac-man; not least because Sno-bees also come in 4 different varieties, each represented by a different colour.

One aspect that distinguishes Pengo from the Namco classic is that the Maze itself is a wholly interactive environment. Each section of wall is represented as a block of ice, which can be pushed onto the Sno-bees to destroy them. The Sno-bees themselves will destroy the ice blocks as they move around each level, so speed is of the essence. Some of the blocks are 'Diamond blocks' which cannot be destroyed, and can be re-used by Pengo.

The outer wall of each level can also be utilized; if the player pushes against the wall when a Sno-bee is next to it, The Sno-bee will be temporarily stunned; allowing Pengo to move in for the kill.